Product Description: Praise for the book that rewrote the rules of advertising
"Zyman’s thorough, thoughtful words might be the kick-in-the-pants the industry needs." –Publishers Weekly
"The writing style is refreshingly simple and easy to understand. Appropriate for any library that has a business section." –Library Journal
"If you ever dreamed of having a power lunch with the one-and-only Z, this book is the next best thing. Make sure you keep notes as Sergio drops his pearls of wisdom on the truth of advertising and beyond." –Bernd Schmitt, author, Experiential Marketing
"[Zyman] returns to the foundations of advertising, which he drills into rock. He builds–or rebuilds–the house of marketing from the ground up." –Sir Martin Sorrell, Group Chief Executive, WPP
"I hope CEOs read this book. They will stop wasting their precious dollars on 30-second commercials and start doing some real marketing." –Philip Kotler, S.C. Johnson & Son Distinguished Professor of International Marketing, Kellogg Graduate School of Management, author, Kotler on Marketing and Marketing Insights from A to Z
"Sergio is one of the few who recognize that the real problem with advertising is that the process itself is broken. And he is the only man in the history of the industry courageous (or insane) enough to attempt to change it." –Sam Hill, cofounder, Helios Consulting Group, author, Sixty Trends in Sixty Minutes
"Sergio Zyman is tough-minded and irreverent. His insights into the evolution of advertising are vital for anyone building a business." –John J. Dooner Jr., Chairman and CEO, McCann-Erickson Worldgroup
From the guy who brought you the NEW COKE Remember that? Yep, this is the guy -- Sergio Zyman -- but you know what -- he does get the fact that advertising is CHANGING or HAS CHANGED -- but 4 years (book written in 2002 or maybe even 2001 and published in 2002) is hopelessly dated only 3 (yes, THREE pages) on the Internet and advertising on it-- okay now I counted 4 in the rather skimpy index. This is the followup to his book The End of Marketing as We KNow It. Now I know that Zyman knows his stuff because he's one of the spokespersons for 'branded entertainment' which has taken over the world and TV and The Internet etc etc...BUT some of his comments are still especially relevant like giving your brand a kcik in the [...]....importance of research-based data....the evergreen of animated characters...packaging is a kewl chapter -- what about Altoids -- could have been your grandma's candy but sure ain't....Tiffany's blue box...cup of soup and more...some good quick scanning here would be helpful if you're looking to move beyond the ordinary for your brand or campaign....
Thought provoking... I have to disagree with the major part of these reviews. Zyman says at the beginning that his ideas go completely against the grain, and that this is not a book to use if you're looking for easy answers.
That said, once you get past the arrogance (it seems that Zyman has the good luck to be the only person who has never made a mistake in the workplace) and the shameless self promotion (if you don't call his consulting company you're brand is in trouble!)...he has a lot of smart points, many of which should be obvious and therefore the hardest to comprehend!
This is a book for people who already have a background in advertising and are looking to stay abreast of the market. He won't give you any answers, he will only help you reflect on your current work situation.
I definitely think it's worth reading...but only if you're not looking for a how-to.
Not a book that will help you make business decisions. As a new marketing manager given the responsibility of spending money on advertising, I felt like the first three chapters helped me understand 1) What advertising really is and 2) The value a manager should expect to derive from spending money on advertising.
From there the book launches into a description of different forms of advertising. Zyman packs the book full of examples of advertising that (at least in his opinion) work and don't work. He continues on about the necessity of managers to ensure that advertising is positively impacting revenue and profit while lambasting those company's that seem to engage in advertising for advertising's sake.
I really expected Zyman to go beyond the complaints and accolades and help me learn how to develop metrics and programmatic evaluations of marketing initiatives so that I can make the right decisions before spending the company's money. No such luck, I suppose that knowledge like that is the "secret sauce" reserved for those who plunk down money at his agency.
If you know nothing about advertising, this is a good history book of do's and don'ts. If you need to make decisions about spending money on advertising you'll be better served finding a more technical book on marketing campaigns and programs...... or giving Zyman's firm a call I suppose..... which may be the real reason the book was written.... it is after all good advertising.
Packed With Knowledge! Deeply informed by his marketing experience at Coca-Cola, Sergio Zyman knows advertising theories, but he doesn't like them. He is marketing's angry child, shouting, "Traditional advertising just isn't working." He delights in hurling stones at traditional advertising icons, including "brand awareness," which may get your product considered, but will not guarantee a sale or an increase in sales. For sales heft, he postulates, position your product to be relevant to the consumer. Build this "brand relevance," then start working on media buzz. He compliments his own marketing expertise, but who wants a shy promoter? He says corporations waste ad dollars, so if you work in a traditional glass-house advertising agency, you won't feel too secure when you see angry kid Zyman picking up a rock. His targets, according to us, are people who work in Madison Avenue glass houses, and those who hire them.
Good if you're interested in how great Sergio is In his book "Crossing the Chasm," which explored how technology companies move from start-up to success, Geoffrey Moore used a great analogy to explain how market concepts move from the fringe to the center. Moore said the bulk of companies were like cows, always bunched together while contentedly looking down at their tiny patch of grass. Then one cow looks up and thinks, "new grass!" Another cow looks up too, and soon there's a stampede over to a different field.
In branding, the cows are starting to look up.
Sergio Zyman is a former chief marketing officer of Coca-Cola who bills himself as a "high-profile marketing guru." He runs an Atlanta-based consulting group with clients in banking, aluminum, skiing and golf. In 2001, Time magazine named him one of the three best pitchmen of the 20th century.
This book is a follow-up to his 2000 book, The End of Marketing As We Know It. His current book is a collection of observations on the changing role of branding, specific advice on sponsorships and PR agency selection, and musings on the impact of 9/11on advertising. He writes only for companies selling to consumers, ignoring the vital role of branding for businesses that sell to other businesses.
The premise that advertising has "ended" covers attacks on large, traditional agencies, who see advertising through the lens of 30-second TV commercials and define success by the number of creative awards. "The truth is that most agency art directors are frustrated movie directors and most agency copywriters are frustrated playwrights and both consider themselves artists," he says. Instead, he defines advertising as the sum total of corporate operations, ranging from packaging and PR to how secretaries answer phones.
Zyman also argues that "awareness" is irrelevant. "Too many companies make the mistake of thinking that creating an image is some kind of goal unto itself, that once they get their image into the public's mind they'll automatically see an increase in sales and customer loyalty. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way," he writes.
He makes a strong case for accountability. He dismisses traditional metrics like "reach," "frequency" and "continuity" because of a lack of targeting. Every marketing expense must be treated as an investment, with a quantifiable return. Even sponsorships must have a hard-dollar impact on revenue. Such accountability extends to ad and PR agencies. Don't hire anyone, he advises, who is not willing to be paid based on sales results.
Based on his extensive experience at Coke, he is especially strong on celebrity endorsements and sponsorships. When considering celebrities, key questions to ask include: "Is there a relevant connection between the brand and the celebrity?" Otherwise, it's a waste. Case in point: Hiring Terry Bradshaw to promote 1-800-COLLECT, or Michael Jordan for Ray-O-Vac batteries. What is the risk of controversy? Is the celebrity overexposed? ("Two words: Fran Tarkenton.") Can the celebrity be used in different media? And, does the celebrity actually use the product? There were a lot of frowns at Pepsi when Britney Spears was spotted drinking Coke.
Out of a worldwide marketing budget of $5 billion, Coke once spent about one-third on sponsorships. Zyman now suggests that the word "sponsorship" should be abandoned because it implies one-way philanthropy. His alternative: "Marketing Property Utilization." Key questions to answer before sponsoring events include: What specific business results are you trying to achieve? How much business will the event need to generate to achieve revenue and profit objectives? What are the opportunity costs? He emphasizes that the usual method of measuring return - minutes of exposure compared to equivalent media costs - "is a load of crap." He suggests that property sellers take a stake in the success from the event. For example, a bank sponsor of a NASCAR event paid NASCAR for every new account that was opened.
But Zyman misses the boat in several areas. He not only argues for "positioning," but "positioning du jour." "When it comes to brands, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' doesn't work....If your brand is going to succeed, and you're going to stay ahead of the competition, you're going to constantly fix things before they break and continuously realign your message and your image to your customers' wants and needs." It's hard to imagine a scarred veteran of the New Coke fiasco making such a statement.
He dismisses the experience that results from product and customer interaction. Zyman writes: "Pay attention because this is absolutely critical: The people who got you where you are right now - no matter how good they are- can't get you where you want to go. They just can't. If you're going to move ahead, expand your business, or get into new markets, you need to bring in some new people with new ideas. If you can't do that, you at least need to send your old people out to be retrained."
And some statements are worthy of American humorist Dave Barry, known for his catch-phrase, "I am not making this up." "The Microsoft brand, for example, projects an image that the company and Bill Gates himself are committed to making their products bigger, brighter, and more useful. They even try to involve customers in product development. By continually putting out a product that breaks they're giving the impression that Microsoft's technology is so advanced that their products are always in development. The company responds well to suggestions for fixes offered by heavy and light users alike and people end up almost feeling as though they own the company," he writes.
Some of his ideas are good, but are tainted by the blatant self-promotion on almost every page. If you're interested in a book that explores many of the same themes, but details how to put them into action and measure results, check out FusionBranding: How to Forge Your Brand for the Future by Nick Wreden. The difference between the two books is like exploring the same ground, one from 50,000 feet in the air, and the other with a map, guide and compass.
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tailipoe
Trevor
